SHUTTLE SYSTEM 40 FEET BENEATH THE CONVENTION CENTER?
THE BORING CO.’S $52.5 MILLION people-mover system has been completed, it is ready and operational.
Trips through the tunnels are an “only in Las Vegas” experience with LED lighting that cycles through a rainbow of colors from second to second lining the tunnel walls.
Cars have enough clearance in the tunnels that riders can open doors and get out in an emergency.
Drivers hit maximum speeds of about 35 mph on the straightaways of the tunnels. The electric vehicles run silently on the underground paved surfaces. At the ends of the tunnel, the Model X and Model 3 Tesla's climb a ramp to reach the surface.
Parallel tunnels nearly a mile long will shuttle conventioneer passengers to and from three stations when the system, developed by entrepreneur Elon Musk, becomes fully operational. A certificate of occupancy has been issued to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
While the tunnels and vehicles are designed to operate in autonomous mode, LVCVA officials have said Boring Co. drivers would be employed in the early stages of operation for additional safety.
The system is designed with three stations, one underground near the entrance of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Central Hall and two above-ground stations at the two ends of the system. Paved ramps are in place for vehicles to climb to the surface for above-ground loading on the east and west ends of the route. The east station, known as Station 1, is near an entrance to the South Hall, while Station 3, on the west side of the Convention Center campus, is near the new West Hall.
This all sounds good but the 1.5-mile long, $52 million, Las Vegas 'Loop' that was supposed to be a total transport revolution turns out that it’s still nothing more than a really expensive hole through which humans drive cars quite slowly." Currently there is a fleet of only 11 Tesla vehicles being driven at up to 35 mph, rather than operating autonomously.
The LVCC Loop is not anywhere near what it's aiming for and the service it is projected to provide. .... Any excitement appears premature.